Lance Mackey sits with his lead dogs Larry, right, and Maple after crossing the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, in Nome, Alaska, to win his third Iditarod in a row. (AP Photo/Al Grillo)
Leaders of the Pack
Lance Mackey and his sled-dog team blow past the competition for third-straight Iditarod victory
Two Iditarod wins just weren't enough for amazing musher Lance Mackey. He had to have one more.
The two-time defending Iditarod champ and his 15 dogs claimed a third Iditarod crown as they bounded across the finish line in Nome, Alaska, Wednesday.
It took Mackey and his team 9 days, 21 hours, 38 minutes, 46 seconds to complete the grueling 1,100-mile journey that started in the town of Willow.
Mackey gave the credit for the big win to his dogs.
"I'm so proud of this team," Mackey said. "They're the real heroes and the real stars here. I was just a fortunate passenger who sometimes knows what to do right."
Mackey started the race with 16 dogs, but one on the team had to drop out of the snow-blown trek. Two-year-old Chucko had grown too tired and was starting to slow the pace of the pack. So Mackey left him in the care of veterinarians at a checkpoint along the trail. (Chucko has recovered and is reportedly in good health.)
Mackey got a phone call from his dad, Dick Mackey, at the finish line.
Mackey's father knows exactly how incredible this win is for his son. The senior Mackey won the Iditarod race in 1978. Lance's older brother, Rick, won the Iditarod in 1983, creating a dog-racing dynasty.
But Lance's "three-peat" win puts him in an elite group. Only two other mushers have claimed the Iditarod crown three times in a row—Susan Butcher won from 1986-88 and Doug Swingley won from 1999-2001. No team has won four consecutive races.
Mackey is an inspiration to the people of Alaska for more than his dog-sledding success. The 38-year-old had to take a break from the sport after being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2001.
He endured extensive surgery and radiation treatment. Mackey fought his way back to health and rejoined the racing world in 2004. He even named his dog kennel "Mackey's Comeback Kennel."
Mackey took the leaders of his pack, 3-year-old Maple and 9-year-old Larry, onstage to accept the winning prize of $69,000 in cash and a new truck. The dogs were draped in wreaths of roses to celebrate.
"You can do this 100 times and still get choked up," Mackey told the Boston Herald. Mackey hasn't said whether or not he will try for a fourth Iditarod win next year—only that he "doesn't expect much to change" after this win. It's likely the champion sledder and his beloved dogs will be back on the trail soon.
Mushers who are still out on the trail are expected to arrive in Nome over the next several days. You can explore the Iditarod trail and learn about past Iditarods in this special report.
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